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Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport restores power after crippling outage

ATLANTA — Nearly 11 hours after a power outage paralyzed the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International got its elect...
Power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia

ATLANTA — Nearly 11 hours after a power outage paralyzed the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International got its electricity back late Sunday night.

The lights flickered on shortly before midnight, after an exhausting day for travelers, that had left thousands stranded in dark terminals and on planes sitting on the tarmac. A ground stop in Atlanta disrupted air travel across the United States and led to cancellations of more than 1,000 flights in and out of the airport.

Travelers flying in and out of Bradley International in Windsor Locks faced delay on Monday.  Airport officials said:

We’re continuing to closely monitor the situation at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Bradley International Airport’s nonstop flights to and from Atlanta are on Delta and we’re currently seeing two cancelled arrivals and two cancelled departures for today. Passengers who are scheduled to travel to and from Atlanta should contact Delta for further information and instructions. This morning’s update from Delta on the situation can be found here: http://news.delta.com/update-5-things-know-about-delta-s-atlanta-operation-today 

Kevin A. Dillon, A.A.E., Executive Director of the Connecticut Airport Authority said:

“At Bradley International Airport, we have a number of redundant systems in place to help mitigate the effects of power interruption. We have a cogeneration facility on-site that serves as the primary source of power for the terminal facility. We also have the ability to switch our electric needs over to the grid should we encounter issues with the cogeneration facility. Additionally, we have back-up generator capacity for our airfield resources. By developing and maintaining these systems, as well as through other means, CAA continues to take steps to lessen the impact of such potential incidents at Bradley.”

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport restores power after crippling outage

The outage, which affected all airport operations, started with a fire in a Georgia Power underground electrical facility, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said. The electrical fire’s intensity damaged two substations serving the airport, including the airport’s “redundant system” that should have provided backup power, Reed said.

“We certainly understand that the outage has caused frustration and anger and we are doing everything that we can to get folks back home right away,” he said at a Sunday night news conference.

Atlanta is the heart of the US air transport system, and the disruption led to 1,173 flight cancellations to and from the airport, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

Even as the power came back, the airport and airlines can expect a logjam of passengers, delays and cancellations Monday.

Delta, which has its largest hub in Atlanta, canceled 300 flights Monday, most of which are morning, inbound flights to Hartsfield-Jackson. Delta tweeted that it expects flight schedules “to return to normal by Monday afternoon.”

Cause of fire unknown

At 12:38 p.m., Georgia Power noticed outages in the system that were traced to a fire in underground tunnels where the airport’s electric system lives, spokeswoman Bentina Terry said. The fire caused multiple faults that led to the full blackout at 1:06 p.m.

The fire’s intensity prevented Georgia Power crews from immediately being able to access the tunnels and work on restoring power, Reed added. By 3:30 p.m., fire crews were able to contain the fire and started to work on restoring power. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but nothing suggests it was set deliberately, he said.

Georgia Power said in a statement that its equipment — a piece of switchgear — which was in an underground electrical facility, could have failed and started a fire. The incident is still being evaluated, according to the utility.

The blackout led the Federal Aviation Administration to declare a ground stop at the airport, preventing Atlanta-bound flights in other airports from taking off and causing inbound flights to be diverted.

Inside the airport, the outage cut power in the terminals, leaving passengers stranded in the dark as they stood in line at gates and security checkpoints. An estimated 30,000 people were affected by the power outage, Reed said.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport restores power after crippling outage

People used flashlights on their phones to see where they were going, said passenger Heather Kerwin, an Atlanta resident bound for New York.

“There were a few emergency lights on, but it was really dark — felt totally apocalyptic,” she said. “I decided to get the hell out of there.”

Some passengers told CNN that airport and airline staff offered no updates as hours passed, leaving people scanning their phones and tablets for information. Stores stopped serving food and passengers were evacuated to alleviate crowding.

The city of Atlanta opened the Georgia International Convention Center and offered shuttle services there for stranded passengers who needed a place to stay for the night, according to the city’s verified twitter account. Chick-fil-A supplied food to passengers, although the chain is closed on Sundays.

Trapped for hours

The outage left passengers sitting in planes on the tarmac for hours.

Jodi Green’s Delta flight from the Bahamas landed at 1:15 p.m. ET Sunday. Seven hours later, she was still on the plane. Green said the pilot told passengers that other flights that had ran out of fuel were evacuated before theirs. Despite the circumstances, she said, order prevailed.

“People are calm, laughing, joking,” she said. “I’m amazed I’ve been able to sit here and not lose my mind.”

CNN’s Betsy Klein spent nearly seven hours in a plane on the tarmac, waiting to move. At one point, the crew said 92 planes were stuck on the tarmac, Klein said. People maintained composure as food and drinks ran out, but by hour seven, patience was wearing thin.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport restores power after crippling outage

When she finally deplaned around 9 p.m. it was sweltering inside the airport, she said. It was unclear who was in charge and people were lying on the floor and on baggage claim belts.

The ground stop led Southwest Airlines to cancel all operations in and out of Atlanta for the rest of the day, spokesman Brian Parrish said. Customers are being offered re-bookings without fare differences, he said. United and American Airlines also suspended operations to and from Atlanta for the rest of Sunday.

Delta, which has its headquarters in Atlanta, canceled more than 900 flights as a result of the ground stop on Sunday. The airline urged passengers scheduled to fly on Monday to check their flights.

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